Best Winter Sun Surf Holidays from Europe

Winter changes the question

When Europe is cold, you do not necessarily need a complicated escape. You need somewhere where the ocean, weather and accommodation make leaving winter worthwhile.

For surfers, winter is especially interesting because different coastlines come into season. The trick is matching the month to the coast.

Short-haul: the Atlantic islands

Madeira and the Canary Islands offer an easy European answer. Madeira’s official tourism board highlights a range of surf zones, from Porto da Cruz for improving surfers to powerful north and south-west coast breaks for experienced surfers.

Portugal’s wider Atlantic coastline also offers an enormous variety of surf environments.

Long-haul: go for the complete escape

The Maldives is attractive when the surf trip also needs to feel like a proper holiday. Visit Maldives describes a long surf season extending through much of the year, with stronger periods in parts of spring and autumn.

Sri Lanka is another useful option because its long coastline provides multiple water-sport regions and professional operators.

Costa Rica works differently again: surf can be the anchor, while rainforest, wildlife and wellness fill the rest of the itinerary.

Our rule for winter escapes

Do not book purely for heat. Book for the combination of water, waves, atmosphere and the kind of days you actually want to have. If the surf is average one morning, what else will make the trip worth it? That question usually separates a good surf destination from a great holiday destination.

Browse the winter months in the Best by Month planner: start with January and February.